Confronting a motorist- is it worth it?

[Mike8782]

I had to bang on the side of a van this morning on the way to work, I stopped at lights, and he pulled alongside me, at no more than 50cm, maybe 30cm away. Absolutely ridiculous I don't know if it was beneficial, but I certainly felt better for doing it.

 

[400bhp]

I'd took a longer route to work this morning and ended up coming in via Wilmslow Rd. Had some bell cheese squeeze through a non existent gap. Inevitably caught him up at the next set of traffic lights about 1/4 mile down the road where he'd gone into the empty LH lane to clearly queue jump. I'd thought about having a word but as I was turning left at the lights I found myself sat in front of him and, would you believe it, I simply couldn't get started once the lights turned green.

 

[Andrew_P]

I'd took a longer route to work this morning and ended up coming in via Wilmslow Rd. Had some bell cheese squeeze through a non existent gap. Inevitably caught him up at the next set of traffic lights about 1/4 mile down the road where he'd gone into the empty LH lane to clearly queue jump. I'd thought about having a word but as I was turning left at the lights I found myself sat in front of him and, would you believe it, I simply couldn't get started once the lights turned green.

LOL I did that on Monday in response to a Clio sitting behind me at Red revving his engine, it was a combo of too harder gear and missing the first clip in, but once the gear was right and clipped I just crusied along until I hit the Cycle lane and then pulled away and I guess he was left trying to push his way in to the backed up traffic

 

[Miquel In De Rain]

I did a first time ever today,at the St Pauls pinch point,when the people carrier squeezed through the same time as I went through.I bashed his side window.

When I checked the front camera which was under test and pointing half up in the air I noticed it was an Addiscum Lee cab.Got the other two cameras to check.The weird thing is after he did this I overtook him anyway.Doesn't make it right though.

(A thing that strikes me is I must have been firkin close as it took absolutely no effort to make a loud bang.)

Not something I will make a habit of,if I can help it.

 

[roadracerash1]

I might be still in my teens but even i can answer this question. Dont be roped into motorists psychological games. A calm head and a hd video camera, i think personally, is the best solution. Unless they hit you or assault you I think you should be unresponsive to aggressive drivers. Hell i've even had drivers appologise afterwards after i ignored their rude/ aggressive behaviour.

 

[benborp]

Just out of interest, if a driver does something to endanger you but immediately apologizes does this help to calm you down at all?

Near head-on collision.

Yes it does. That incident went from being a nasty scare that would have stayed with me for several days to something that I could recount to others quite happily all day long.

On the question of whether it's worthwhile confronting a motorist in my experience it all depends on the motorist in question. There have been times when I've quietly avoided confrontation only for the motorist to suddenly visit extreme violence upon me and others when me standing my ground and giving as good as I get has put a driver that was about to punch me back in their car. It's a hard one to play by ear.

 

[Maylian]

To add my 2 coppers. I almost got hit yesterday cycling home by a driver emerging from a side road coming into stopped traffic, when I said to "watch out" he got quite mouthy calling me a little c*nt. Now I try and shrug most things off but this I couldn't so I cycled after him shouting all the while to get out of the car, he quickly tried to speed off to get away. (Love rush hour traffic) I caught him up quickly and smacked his car yet still he kept his mouth shut and raced off when he got the chance.

I know I'll probably get shot down for this response but I don't take kindly to people being agressive to me when they've almost taken me off my bike and since they showed no remorse or concern I would have no qualms "educating" them.

 

[ianrauk]

To add my 2 coppers. I almost got hit yesterday cycling home by a driver emerging from a side road coming into stopped traffic, when I said to "watch out" he got quite mouthy calling me a little c*nt. Now I try and shrug most things off but this I couldn't so I cycled after him shouting all the while to get out of the car, he quickly tried to speed off to get away. (Love rush hour traffic) I caught him up quickly and smacked his car yet still he kept his mouth shut and raced off when he got the chance.

I know I'll probably get shot down for this response but I don't take kindly to people being agressive to me when they've almost taken me off my bike and since they showed no remorse or concern I would have no qualms "educating" them.

Not shot down at all. I would have done exactly the same this in that situation.
Sometimes some people need a good smack.

 

[400bhp]

Not shot down at all. I would have done exactly the same this in that situation.
Sometimes some people need a good smack.

Agree on not getting shot down. He decided to make it very personal with one of the foulest words you can use in public.

 

[Andrew_P]

To add my 2 coppers. I almost got hit yesterday cycling home by a driver emerging from a side road coming into stopped traffic, when I said to "watch out" he got quite mouthy calling me a little c*nt. Now I try and shrug most things off but this I couldn't so I cycled after him shouting all the while to get out of the car, he quickly tried to speed off to get away. (Love rush hour traffic) I caught him up quickly and smacked his car yet still he kept his mouth shut and raced off when he got the chance.

I know I'll probably get shot down for this response but I don't take kindly to people being agressive to me when they've almost taken me off my bike and since they showed no remorse or concern I would have no qualms "educating" them.

The worst situation for me is when I have done nothing wrong and someone abuses me. Twice in my life I have been out of control and they have been in these situations thankfully my red mist doesn't last long enough and I come to my senses in time before I do anything I would defintely regret.

 

[Electric_Andy]

I was on the way home tonight going through a residential area. As I was cycling along in a primary position, I could see a car coming towards me, and a van decided to overtake me from behind. He pulled out, zoomed past me and I had to pull in sharply and brake. I had to brake quite sharply.

I don't normally do this, but I thought I'd follow on and speak to the driver at the next lights. I'm not very assertive in these situations, and so I said "I'm very sorry, but you nearly hit me there, I don't normally do this, etc".

He replied that he'd seen me, and that there were two options, "hit the car, or slow down". It was all quite amicable, and I wondered whether I gained anything from this. Is it a good idea to confront drivers like this?

I think one should treat these situations like one might do in a pub, for example. If you feel you can confront the person politely and rationally then go for it, but make sure you have an escape route if things start to go downhill. A friend of a friend was in an altercation with another driver a few years ago. They both pulled over to have a slanging match but the other driver hit him in the head and he died in the layby. I always find it more satisfying to swear and curse at the driver under my breath - it gets it out of your system but doesn't provoke any reaction. Of course, if the driver hears me and confronted me I would probably not stop to discuss it.

 

[Maylian]

I think one should treat these situations like one might do in a pub, for example. If you feel you can confront the person politely and rationally then go for it, but make sure you have an escape route if things start to go downhill. A friend of a friend was in an altercation with another driver a few years ago. They both pulled over to have a slanging match but the other driver hit him in the head and he died in the layby. I always find it more satisfying to swear and curse at the driver under my breath - it gets it out of your system but doesn't provoke any reaction. Of course, if the driver hears me and confronted me I would probably not stop to discuss it.

I'll bare that in mind, worth thinking about to try and keep the situation calm. I feel it's sometimes beneficial to reminding the beligerant drivers that despite being encased in steel the people they swear at can sometimes be bigger and scarier then they are. I think the chap realised that he was swearing at someone bigger, angrier and certainly fitter than himself hence his rapid retreat and silence

 

[fossyant]

I've done it a couple of times - usually because the driver has 'used' his car against me - i.e. deliberately pushing me out of the way. I get very angry. I've only twice slapped a car. 99.9% I let it go, or just put my hand up in a 'what' jesture. You get the odd one that then sticks their finger out of the window, so I just give it them back and wave. Funny how they don't move an inch with a 1000 yard stare, when you get near them in traffic a few minutes later. I think they poop themselves when a bike can chase them down the road at about 30 mph.

 

[dawesome]

the other driver hit him in the head and he died in the layby.

Bloody hell, what happened?

Look at the tradewinds cyclist, he's probably a thoroughly decent chap but chucking cards through Beemer windows in London isn't a good idea.

 

[Electric_Andy]

At the weekend as a passenger in an MPV, we're approaching a 3 road mini-roundabout, a cyclist is coming towards us from a distance signalling to turn accross us with right of way. The driver was watching and slightly slowing on approach preparing to nip out, but then decided to play safe for the cyclist, stopped plenty of time before the line. Surprisingly he cyclist angrily stares at us, gesticulating and shouting what is presumably abuse but couldnt be heard, as presumably unhappy with the approach speed or something.

The main point was the overreaction, maybe he'd worried he hadnt been seen, maybe he braked a little, but then started shouting at a car with six 30ish year old guys in which is probably a dangerous hobby (as it happens 3 of whom are keen cyclists anyway). All it did was fuel a stereotype about cyclists being "self-righteous".

Obviously i appreciate how vulnerable we are on a bicycle and that occasionally it might be worth trying to let a driver know if they were particularly dangerous, but I dont think we can often convey it well in the heat of the moment and more often than not it just makes cyclists seem the enemy, or worse provokes confrontation.

Very well put